Light to shine on QBs, defense at KSU scrimmage

Friday

MANHATTAN - Coach Bill Snyder would prefer to treat it as any other practice, albeit with a few more bells and whistles.

For Kansas State's defense, today's Purple and White Spring game could serve more as an introduction.

With eight defensive starters gone from last year's 11-2 Big 12 co-champion, fans who show up for the 1 p.m. scrimmage at Snyder Family Stadium certainly will see some new faces.

"People say we lost a lot of good defensive players last year - obviously Arthur Brown, Jarell Childs and Meshak Williams - and a lot of people may not believe that we can be as good as we were last year," said sophomore Morgan Burns, one of a handful of candidates to fill the two vacant corner back spots. "I think we can be.

"I think we're fast, we've got a lot of hard workers and a lot of guys that have the will and will power to come together as a team and as a family. I think there's a lot of pressure, but at the same time I think we'll handle it for sure."

The spotlight no doubt will shine brightest on quarterback candidates Daniel Sams and Jake Waters, but seven starters are back on offense, including the entire line. That leaves a majority of the rebuilding to the other side of the ball.

"I think the spring game is definitely for the fans and we want to obviously perform as well as we can," said veteran linebacker Blake Slaughter, returning for his senior season after redshirting last year. "Ultimately you're just showing what you've been doing the whole spring practice.

"All the young guys coming along - Dante Barnett, guys like Kip Daily stepping up - I'm excited to see them be able to show what they've done and see where they've grown."

Slaughter, who has four career starts, will try to take the place of All-American Brown at middle linebacker, with returning senior Tre Walker and junior Jonathan Truman the top candidates on the outside. Walker, who is coming off a serious injury last year likely won't play today, though he has participated in spring drills.

The Wildcats must replace their entire front four, but Snyder said he has been pleased with the progress of the tackles and ends. Still, tackle Travis Britz suggested that the linemen and the entire defense might be playing with a chip on their shoulders, looking to prove that there need not be a serious drop-off in the fall.

"As a defensive lineman you have to play with a little bit of a chip on your shoulder or you're not going to get the things you want accomplished," said Britz, who became a regular part of the line rotation late last season as a true freshman. "So I think I'll play with a chip on my shoulder, just to show that we need to prove something.

"We're not as good as we were last year as of now, but with hard work we can probably get there."

Snyder did not reveal Thursday what the format would be for the game, though he hinted that he won't match the first team offense against the No. 1 defense.

"Last year the purple team was ones and the white team was twos, threes, and fours," he said. "Very likely it could be that way, but I am not dead set on that yet."

Burns is just eager to get on the field.

"Coach Snyder just looks at it as another practice, a way to get better," Burns said. "I think I could see it as a way to let all (the fans) get in my head and pump my chest a little bit, but I just need to stay humble and help the team to get better and help the team the best way that I can."

Walker said he likes what he's seen so far from the defense.

"There have been a lot of new guys coming in to play, so they need to learn those new plays and how it fits within the scheme," he said. "But I think that they have done a great job and they are very coachable and it has shown in our scrimmages."

While a number of his defensive teammates are getting their first exposure, Slaughter would just like to remind the crowd that he's still around.

"I didn't redshirt and die," he said with a laugh.

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